This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1959.
Specific locations 1959 in British music 1959 in Norwegian music
Specific genres 1959 in country music 1959 in jazz
Events January 5 – The first sessions for Ella Fitzgerald's George and Ira Gershwin Songbook are held. January 12 – Tamla Records is founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit, Michigan. January 22 – Buddy Holly records some acoustic demos in his New York City apartment, the last songs he will record. Songs included "Peggy Sue Got Married", "Crying, Waiting, Hoping", "Learning the Game", "What to Do", "That's What They Say", and "That Makes It Tough." January 29 – The first Melodifestivalen, an annual Swedish music competition that determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, is held in Stockholm. January 31 - Nicola Paone's recording of his song Blah, Blah, Blah reaches Cash Box Magazine's list of "Top 100 Singles".The Cash Box 31 January 1959 "The Cash Box Top 100 Singles" Nicola Paone's Blah, Blah, Blah, Nicola Paone The Cash Box 1959 on Google books
February 3 – "The Day the Music Died": Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper are killed in a plane crash in Iowa. Future country star Waylon Jennings was scheduled to be on the plane, but instead gave his seat up to The Big Bopper. March 2–April 22 – The recording sessions for the extremely influential Miles Davis jazz album Kind of Blue take place at the CBS 30th Street Studio in New York City. The album is released on August 17 in the United States, opening with Davis' "So What" and including the Davis-Bill Evans composition "Blue in Green". March 11 – The 4th Eurovision Song Contest is held in Cannes, France, and won by the Netherlands with the song "Een beetje" performed by Teddy Scholten. April 3 – The BBC in the United Kingdom bans The Coasters song "Charlie Brown" because of the word "spitball", a decision it reverses later in the month. April 24 – The Your Hit Parade television series airs its last episode in the United States. May 4 – The 1st Annual Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles. Henry Mancini's The Music from Peter Gunn wins Album of the Year, while Domenico Modugno's song "Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)" wins both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. May 12 – Plácido Domingo makes his stage debut at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara as Pascual in Marina. May 30 – Helge Rosvaenge gives his farewell concert at Vienna's Great Musikvereinsaal. June 11 – Violence erupts at the Seventh Festival of Neapolitan Song in a scandal that sparks a parliamentary inquiry amidst accusations of corruption and involvement of organized crime in a song competition that is seen to have become increasingly commercialised.Nicola Adelfi, "Per le dolci canzoni d'amore un pandemonio da codice penale", La Stampa, no. 140 (13 June 1959). July–November – Alan Lomax and English singer Shirley Collins make a folksong collecting trip in the Southern United States during which they 'discover' Mississippi Fred McDowell. August 25–September 5 – Darmstädter Ferienkurse held in Darmstadt, with lectures by Włodzimierz Kotoński, György Ligeti, Andrzej Markowski, Yoritsune Matsudaira, Werner Meyer-Eppler, Luigi Nono, Henri Pousseur, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Bo Wallner, and world premieres of Claude Baillif's Mouvements pour deux, Sylvano Bussotti's Piano Pieces for David Tudor, Cornelius Cardew's Two Books of Study for Pianists and Piano Piece 1959, Niccolo Castiglioni's Cangiati per pianoforte, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati's Interpolation: Mobile pour flûte, Mauricio Kagel's Transición II, Angelo Paccagnini's Canti brevi: secondo libro, and Stockhausen's Zyklus. September 13 – Bo Diddley's single "Say Man" enters the US R&B charts. November 29 – Though they are held in the same year as the inaugural ceremony, the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles and New York and are notable for being the first televised Grammy Award ceremony. Frank Sinatra's Come Dance with Me! wins Album of the Year, Bobby Darin's version of "Mack the Knife" wins Record of the Year and Jimmy Driftwood's song "The Battle of New Orleans" wins Song of the Year. Darin is also awarded Best New Artist. Fall – Bill Haley & His Comets end their groundbreaking association with Decca Records, for whom they have recorded since 1954. Their first recording for the label, "Rock Around the Clock", helped usher in the rock and roll era. Haley signs with Warner Bros. Records. Joan Baez performs at the first Newport Folk Festival as a surprise guest and becomes an underground favorite Otto Luening and Vladimir Ussachevsky co-found the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York City. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in the United States sponsors the first Grammy Award ceremony for music recorded in 1958. Dalida receives a Music Oscar for Best Song and a first foreign award (a "Golden Lion" in Berlin). Jacques Loussier releases Play Bach No.1 with bassist Pierre Michelot and percussionist Christian Garros. Ornette Coleman plays a legendary and controversial concert at New York's Five Spot. Roy Orbison signs with Monument Records. The Supremes are founded as a quartet ("The Primettes"). Jimi Hendrix buys his first electric guitar: a White Single pickup Supro Ozark 1560 S. Veteran sarodiya and multi-instrumentalist Allauddin Khan records for All India Radio. Jilin opera is developed in China. Approximate date – Ballads and Blues folk club founded by Ewan MacColl and others in a London pub in Soho as part of the second British folk revival.
Albums released (in alphabetical order) An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer – Tom Lehrer At Large – The Kingston Trio Ballad of the Blues – Jo Stafford Berry Is on Top – Chuck Berry Bill Haley's Chicks – Bill Haley & His Comets Blind Joe Death – John Fahey The Cats – John Coltrane Cattin' with Coltrane and Quinichette – John Coltrane & Paul Quinichette Chega De Saudade – João Gilberto Cliff – Cliff Richard (debut) ('Live' and with 'The Drifters') Cliff Sings – Cliff Richard Come Dance with Me! – Frank Sinatra Como Swings – Perry Como Cuttin' Capers – Doris Day A Date with Elvis – Elvis Presley Dinah, Yes Indeed! – Dinah Shore Dreams of Italy – Johnny Cole Ella Fitzgerald Sings Sweet Songs for Swingers – Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook – Ella Fitzgerald Everybody Digs Bill Evans – Bill Evans 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong – Elvis Presley For LP Fans Only – Elvis Presley ...from the "Hungry i" – The Kingston Trio (live) The Genius of Ray Charles – Ray Charles Get Happy! – Ella Fitzgerald Go Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley Greatest! – Johnny Cash Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs – Marty Robbins Here We Go Again! – The Kingston Trio How to Speak Hip – Del Close and John Brent Hymns by Johnny Cash – Johnny Cash I'll Be Seeing You – Jo Stafford I'm Nobody's Baby – Jo Ann Campbell A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra – Oscar Peterson Kind of Blue – Miles Davis Let's All Sing with The Chipmunks - Alvin and the Chipmunks (debut) Liturgical Jazz – Ed Summerlin Lonely Street – Andy Williams Look to Your Heart – Frank Sinatra Love in Portofino (A San Cristina) – Dalida Mingus Ah Um – Charles Mingus Moanin' in the Moonlight – Howlin' Wolf (debut) Newk's Time – Sonny Rollins No One Cares – Frank Sinatra ¡Olé Tormé!: Mel Tormé Goes South of the Border with Billy May – Mel Tormé Once Upon a Summertime – Blossom Dearie Persuasive Percussion – Terry Snyder and the All Stars Porgy and Bess – Miles Davis Ricky Sings Again – Ricky Nelson Ritchie Valens – Ritchie Valens Season's Greetings from Perry Como – Perry Como The Shape of Jazz to Come – Ornette Coleman The Song You Heard When You Fell in Love – Betty Johnson Songs by Ricky – Ricky Nelson Songs of our Soil – Johnny Cash Stereo Concert – The Kingston Trio (live) Strictly Instrumental – Bill Haley & His Comets Swing Along – The Four Lads Swing Me an Old Song – Julie London That's All - Bobby Darin This Game of Love - Vic Damone Time Out – Dave Brubeck Quartet Vaughan and Violins – Sarah Vaughan What a Diff'rence a Day Makes! – Dinah Washington Your Number Please – Julie London
Biggest hit singles The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1959.
# Artist Title Year Country Chart Entries 1 Bobby Darin Mack the Knife 1959 US UK 1 – Sep 1959, US BB 1 – Sep 1959, US BB 1 of 1959, US CashBox 1 of 1959, Canada 1 – Aug 1959, Grammy in 1959, POP 1 of 1959, DDD 3 of 1959, Norway 9 – Nov 1959, South Africa 13 of 1959, RYM 15 of 1959, RIAA 15, Italy 38 of 1960, Europe 88 of the 1950s, Party 226 of 1999, Rolling Stone 251, Acclaimed 407, WXPN 518 2 Johnny Horton The Battle of New Orleans 1959 US US BB 1 – May 1959, Canada 1 – May 1959, Australia 1 for 5 weeks Dec 1958, US CashBox 2 of 1959, Australia 9 of 1959, UK 16 – Jun 1959, South Africa 17 of 1959, RYM 19 of 1959, US BB 38 of 1959, POP 38 of 1959, DDD 47 of 1959, RIAA 333, Acclaimed 821 3 Lloyd Price Personality 1959 US Australia 1 for 4 weeks Nov 1958, US BB 2 – May 1959, Canada 2 – May 1959, Australia 5 of 1959, US CashBox 6 of 1959, Norway 6 – Jul 1959, South Africa 12 of 1959, UK 25 – Aug 1959, US BB 33 of 1959, POP 33 of 1959, Europe 36 of the 1950s, DDD 56 of 1959, RYM 85 of 1959, Acclaimed 2027 4 Lloyd Price Stagger Lee 1959 US US BB 1 – Jan 1959, Canada 3 – Dec 1958, South Africa 5 of 1959, UK 7 – Feb 1959, Norway 8 – Apr 1959, US CashBox 11 of 1959, DDD 23 of 1958, US BB 28 of 1959, POP 28 of 1959, RYM 31 of 1958, Europe 86 of the 1950s, Rolling Stone 456, Acclaimed 1013 5 Frankie Avalon Venus 1959 US US BB 1 – Feb 1959, Canada 1 – Feb 1959, Australia 1 for 2 weeks Oct 1958, US CashBox 3 of 1959, RYM 4 of 1959, Italy 6 of 1959, South Africa 6 of 1959, Australia 15 of 1959, UK 16 – Apr 1959
Top hits on record (in alphabetical order)
Published popular music "77 Sunset Strip" Mack David & Jerry Livingston "Along Came Jones" w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller "All My Tomorrows" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen, from the film A Hole in the Head "Alvin's Harmonica" w.m. Ross Bagdasarian "Angela Jones" w.m. John D. Loudermilk "Anyone Would Love You" w.m. Harold Rome. Introduced by Andy Griffith and Dolores Gray in the musical Destry Rides Again "The Battle of New Orleans" trad arr. Jimmy Driftwood "The Best Is Yet to Come" w. Carolyn Leigh m. Cy Coleman "The Best of Everything" w. Sammy Cahn m. Alfred Newman, from the film The Best of Everything "A Big Hunk o' Love" w. m. Aaron Schroeder & Sid Wyche "Big Iron" w.m. Marty Robbins "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" w.m. Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield "The Children's Marching Song" trad arr. Malcolm Arnold. Performed by Ingrid Bergman and The Orphans' Chorus in the film Inn of the Sixth Happiness "China Doll" w.m. Cindy Walker "China Tea" m. Russ Conway "Ciao, Ciao, Bambina" w.(Eng) Mitchell Parish (Ital) Eduardo Verde & Domenico Modugno m. Domenico Modugno "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Patricia Neway in the musical Sound of Music "Come Softly To Me" w.m. Gary Troxel, Barbara Ellis & Gretchen Christopher "Delaware" w.m. Irving Gordon "Don't You Know?" w.m. adapt. Bobby Worth "Do-Re-Mi" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Mary Martin in the musical Sound of Music. Sung by Julie Andrews in the film version. "Dream Lover" w.m. Bobby Darin "Early In The Morning" adapt Bruce Belland & Glen Larson "Edelweiss" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers. Introduced by Mary Martin in the musical Sound of Music. Sung by Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in the film version. "El Paso" w.m. Marty Robbins "Endlessly" w.m. Clyde Otis & Brook Benton "Everything's Coming Up Roses" w. Stephen Sondheim m. Jule Styne. Introduced by Ethel Merman in the musical Gypsy. Sung in the film version by Lisa Kirk dubbing for Rosalind Russell.